On Wednesday, Sept. 19, Charles S. Dutton, who gained acclaim for his 1990s television sitcom “Roc,” will headline the celebration with a one-man tribute to the playwright titled “Goodnight Mr. Wilson.” The performance begins at 8 p.m. in the McCallum Ballroom of the Bryan Campus Life Center on the Rhodes campus with a reception following.

It is free but seating is by ticket. Tickets for the public will be available for pickup beginning September 5 at the Rhodes Box Office (901-843-3839).

In “Goodnight Mr. Wilson,” Dutton presents humorous, moving, and transforming excerpts from Wilson’s plays. Dutton made his Broadway debut in 1984 as trumpet player Levee in Wilson′s "Ma Rainey′s Black Bottom” and as a result received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. Dutton became one of the playwright’s most passionate performers and “The Piano Lesson” brought Dutton a second Tony Award nomination for Best Actor.

Dutton, who studied at the Yale School of Drama, also is an Emmy Award-winning actor and director. His television/screen credits include "The Practice,” “Without a Trace,” “Oz,” “Alien3,” “Crocodile Dundee,” “A Time to Kill,” “The Corner” and “Against the Ropes.”

The August Wilson Celebration in Memphis is the brainchild of Hattiloo Theatre with plans of making the celebration an annual event. Music, particularly jazz and the blues, was a muse for Wilson’s writings, and he employed music to represent the souls and identities of his characters.

As part of the celebration, Hattiloo Theatre will present “The August Wilson Songbook,” a collection of songs culled from Wilson′s works and a tribute conceived by Hattiloo director Ekundayo Bandele and University of Memphis African American literature professor Ladrica Menson-Furr.

In addition, the celebration will include a bus tour to Clarksdale, Miss., beginning with a visit to the Delta Blues Museum where guests can learn the prehistory and history of the blues. Other August Wilson Celebration events include lectures, stage readings and discussions, and a finale party with jazz and blues vocalist Joyce Cobb.

Rhodes College last year announced the establishment of The Mike Curb Institute for Music to foster awareness and understanding of Southern musical traditions. The Mike Curb Family Foundation and Rhodes envisioned partnerships with local institutions already doing work consistent with the charge of the Institute.

“The August Wilson Celebration reinforces a primary objective of the Curb Institute of finding meaningful ways to connect Rhodes students and faculty with the broader Memphis community while studying the impact of music on its local culture, history and economy,” says Rhodes President William E. Troutt.

Wilson received the Pulitzer Prize for “The Piano Lesson” and “Fences,” and his literary legacy includes a 10-play cycle chronicling the heritage and experience of African Americans in the 20th century, decade-by-decade. The cycle begins with “Gem of the Ocean” set in the 1900s and ends with “Radio Golf” set in the 1990s.

Wilson died in 2005, but his work continues to be celebrated in the areas of black culture, American literature, music and Broadway theatre.